Longtime Cumberland University baseball coach Woody Hunt received the Fred Russell Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday night at the 15th annual Pepsi Celebration of Champions at the Grand Ole Opry House.

The award is given annually to a middle Tennessee area individual for their superior lifetime achievement in the world of sports at the Pepsi Celebration of Champions presented by Kroger.
 
Former University of Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Pat Summitt won the Fred Russell Lifetime Achievement Award last year and former winners include Larry Schmittou, Ronnie Carter, Charlie Anderson, Darrell Waltrip, Ed Temple, Jim Fyke and Bill Wade.

Cumberland will face Coastal Georgia Thursday, March 14, at 5:15 p.m. in the opening round of the 33rd annual NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championships at the Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Ky.
 
The CU women won both the regular season and conference tournament in the Mid-South Conference this season and enter the national tournament 30-2 overall and ranked sixth nationally in the final regular season poll released earlier Wednesday.
 
Cumberland is making its fifth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament and its first since losing in the national championship game in 2007.

The Bulldogs reached the national tournament for the first time in 1999 and then played in three consecutive tourneys from 2005-07, winning one game in 2005 and reaching the title game in 2007.

CU is 5-4 all-time in the event with all of those contests played at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.

Live video for the first 30 games of the 33rd annual NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championships is available through NeuLion, the NAIA's official video streaming company for select national championship events.

An all-tournament pass (30 games) is available for $29.95, while a single day pass can be purchased for $9.95. For more information and to pre-register, visit http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=646952&SPID=100499&DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205423235.

Cumberland plays its first game in the national tournament on Thursday at 5:15 Central Time against the College of Coastal Georgia. The 32-team bracket may be found at http://www.naia.org/pdf9/1563189.pdf?SPSID=646952&SPID=100499&DB_OEM_ID=27900.

Cumberland’s Cody Linton, Jake Williams and Zeke Hunt were all named All-Americans by the NAIA after their performances at the 56th annual NAIA National Championships held March 1-2 at the Jacobson Exhibition Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Honors were bestowed to the Top Eight finishers in each weight class.

The three All-Americans in one season is the most ever for the CU program and gives the Bulldogs 14 total All-Americans.

BRENTWOOD -- A return trip to the Class AAA BlueCross Basketball Championships was not in the cards for Wilson Central as Brentwood High turned back the Wildcats 60-54 in Monday’s Class AAA Boy's Sectional game.

Trailing by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, Wilson Central cut the margin to a single point five minutes into the third quarter following a Matthew Hall basket.

Hall scored several key baskets for Wilson Central in the fourth quarter, giving the Wildcats a 50-49 advantage for 20 seconds before Cody Shelton put Brentwood back on top.  The junior forward evened the score 54-54 with 3:43 remaining before the Bruins took control.

FRANKFORT, KY -- Cumberland used a frenzied defensive effort in the second half to overpower Campbellsville 59-46 in Sunday's championship game of the Mid-South Conference women's basketball tournament.

Down eight points at intermission, the No. 6-ranked CU women outscored Campbellsville 39-18 over the final 20 minutes -- improving to 30-2 headed into the NAIA Championships March 13.

"Our kids did a tremendous job with the halfcourt defense," said Coach Jeremy Lewis. "We were in this position twice before in this tournament -- down at halftime. Our kids were comfortable and knew what had to be done."